15: The Man Riding the Wild Boar

At this gathering point, quite a few people had assembled. The long-haired woman scanned the crowd for a moment, her brows knitting in concern.

“Baldy, where are the Boss and Xiao Yan? Didn’t they go out to look for food? Why haven’t they returned?” she asked.

The man lying on the ground, known as Baldy, mumbled two unintelligible sounds, indicating he had no idea.

“What do you mean by ‘the Boss’?” a handsome young man nearby asked with a smile.

The four of them had set out in the morning carrying the Sacred Water, and by the time they returned, they had awakened five new people. The young man who spoke was one of them—a C-rank ability user. Besides him, two other young men were also C-rank, while the remaining two had the lowest rank of abilities.

On their way back, they’d only received a brief explanation of the current situation.

The long-haired woman, Dai Li, glanced at him and said, “The Boss is just that—the boss. It means we all need to follow his lead from now on.”

The young man just smiled and shook his head, saying nothing more. The other two young men exchanged peculiar smiles, their expressions full of disdain, making it clear they didn’t take Dai Li’s so-called Boss seriously.

Some of them, brimming with confidence in their own strength, even began to hatch their own restless schemes…

Suddenly, a series of loud crashes erupted from the distant woods, and the ground began to tremble ever so slightly.

Everyone turned toward the forest in disbelief, only to witness a jaw-dropping sight—

From within the trees, a massive, shadowy creature lumbered forth. At first glance, it looked like a giant black statue, but as they saw it more clearly, they recoiled in horror—it was a colossal wild boar!

What was even more shocking, however, was the figure seated atop the great boar. Qin Xiaofan sat astride its back, one leg crossed over the other, gazing down at the assembled crowd below in a leisurely, almost nonchalant manner.

There he was—the man atop the wild boar!

Everyone stared up at Qin Xiaofan, stunned into silence. The newly awakened young men, in particular, felt their legs trembling as they took in the ferocious beast before them; all thoughts of challenging authority evaporated instantly.

“Well, not bad! Five new members, welcome, welcome,” Qin Xiaofan said with a clap from atop the massive boar. Behind him, Xiao Yan clung tightly to the beast’s coarse fur, sweating bullets for fear of falling off.

“Gather your things, everyone. Follow me. I’ve found us a new base,” Qin Xiaofan continued, patting the wild boar beneath him.

The great boar snorted in protest, but grudgingly turned and began to lumber back toward the large cave it once called home.

The group exchanged uncertain glances, but quickly followed, even hauling Baldy up from the ground to come along.

…

Inside the cave, everyone held their noses as they cleaned out the pig dung, finally banishing the overpowering stench.

The cave was remarkably spacious. Within it, they found a mountain spring and several fruit trees bearing unknown, colorful fruits.

It was, without a doubt, an excellent new base.

Excitement spread among the group—they finally had shelter from the elements.

Dai Li, the long-haired woman, now regarded Qin Xiaofan with deep caution. She knew firsthand how formidable the wild boar was; even together with Baldy, she hadn’t stood a chance against it. Yet Qin Xiaofan had subdued the beast single-handedly and made it his mount…

She had known Qin Xiaofan was strong, but not to such an absurd degree. To her mind, he must at least be a top-tier B-rank ability user to possess such power.

However, none of them knew that, according to the system, Qin Xiaofan was still only rated as a C-rank ability user…

Outside the cave, Qin Xiaofan sat on the wild boar’s back, running his fingers through its rough fur.

“I don’t know if you understand me,” he said with a smile, “but I can sense your intelligence. From now on, you’re my mount. Hmm… I’ll call you Second Brother from today.”

Second Brother…

On the ground, Xiao Yan could only shake his head in silent exasperation at Qin Xiaofan’s remarkable talent for naming things.

The wild boar let out a grunt, though whether it understood was anyone’s guess.

It returned to munching on the tender grass—yes, it was an herbivore…

“All right, you stay here. Don’t wander off,” Qin Xiaofan said, hopping down from the boar’s back.

After a brief moment of thought, he clapped Xiao Yan on the shoulder. “I have an important task for you.”

Xiao Yan blinked, looking at Qin Xiaofan in confusion.

Qin Xiaofan gave him a mysterious smile…

Ten minutes later, everyone had gathered before a smooth rock wall outside the cave. Xiao Yan, like a teacher before his students, used colored stones to write and draw on the stone’s surface.

But the lesson he was imparting left everyone wide-eyed.

They watched as Xiao Yan wrote out eight large characters:

Revive Humanity, Rebuild Civilization!

Then, Xiao Yan began to relay Qin Xiaofan’s plans.

First, they would resume awakening people in a controlled and systematic way, strictly regulating their numbers according to the available food—otherwise, the newly revived would simply starve.

Next, the matter of building a new civilization. Order was essential, and must be strictly enforced. Starting tomorrow, they were to build wooden houses. If anyone had the skills and resources, they should try to recreate modern inventions, with an electrical system as the ideal goal.

They must unite and face hardship and danger together…

At first, the group listened with genuine interest, but soon, some began to frown. For Xiao Yan’s topic had abruptly shifted to—

Qin Xiaofan is our leader!

It is entirely thanks to Qin Xiaofan that we have been revived; we must obey him, respect him, love him, and support him!

Believe this: under Qin Xiaofan’s leadership, we will survive this apocalypse.

…

As Xiao Yan spoke these words, his expression was unusually serious and solemn. He had no choice—it was a strict order from Qin Xiaofan, who insisted this was the first crucial step in brainwashing, and so Xiao Yan had no option but to comply.

Not far away, Qin Xiaofan covertly observed the group’s reactions.

Such brainwashing sessions would become a daily routine. If the first attempt failed, it would be hard to continue in the future.

Fortunately, though some frowned, no one openly objected this time. Qin Xiaofan was finally able to relax.

What is brainwashing?

Simply put, it means using external pressure to implant special ideas into others. Its characteristics include exclusivity, circular reasoning, promises of benefit, mantra-like repetition, ritualization, and constant reinforcement.

And why brainwash?

Heh.

Naturally, to cultivate a truly loyal following.

As a capable leader, one must always think several steps ahead—brainwashing was an essential tool.

The session ended smoothly.

Xiao Yan approached Qin Xiaofan, frowning. “Fan, do you really think this will work?”

Qin Xiaofan encouraged him, “Don’t worry. It will, but it takes time. If you keep at it, results will come. Think about it—if pyramid schemes can indoctrinate people through brainwashing, why can’t we?”

Xiao Yan hesitated. “I just feel… it’s not quite right…”

Qin Xiaofan patted his shoulder. “Huohuo, I know what you’re worried about. It’s not as sinister as you think. It’s simply a way to bring people together.”

Xiao Yan fell silent for a long moment, then finally nodded.

Qin Xiaofan watched him and allowed himself a bitter smile.

Sometimes, he felt Xiao Yan was really a lot like a woman—so sensitive, already suspecting something.

But…

Whatever Xiao Yan’s true thoughts were, Qin Xiaofan didn’t much care.

As always, so long as he held the key to reviving humanity, he had the right to decide the path forward.

Selfishness or shamelessness—so what?

As long as the direction was right, he would march forward without hesitation! Forward! Forward! Forward!